Scientists from the University of Chicago have identified a potential new type of antidepressant therapeutic that selectively blocks a serotonin receptor subtype and provides fast-acting relief in mice.

The discovery could eventually lead to a new class of drugs that treat depression, which have been difficult to develop because of the varying benefits the drugs provide to patients. More than one in 10 Americans take antidepressants, and for those who do get some kind of relief from current antidepressants, it can be weeks or months before medications begin to alleviate symptoms.